The Book Case

Richard Russo is an American treasure. The writer of so many great novels (Empire Falls, Straight Man), we strongly encourage you to read his newest, Life and Art, which is a collection of essays.  We know that so many people say, ESSAYS? Yes, essays, and they are spectacular.  These are not arguments shoved in your face.  These are thoughtful life reflections from one of the great writers of our time, and they should be savored and enjoyed.  If you love Richard Russo, please join us as we talk about why art matters more now then ever, and why he believes he had to write this book. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode: Life and Art by Richard RussoEmpire Falls by Richard RussoStraight Man by Richard RussoThat Old Cape Magic by Richard RussoMohawk by Richard RussoThe Whore’s Child and Other Stories by Richard RussoElsewhere by Richard RussoThe Risk Pool by Richard RussoChances Are… by Richard RussoNobody’s Fool by Richard RussoSomebody’s Fool by Richard RussoEverybody’s Fool by Richard RussoA Tale of Two Cities by Charles DickensRumpole of the Bailey by John Mortimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 15 May 2025

Jemimah Wei’s The Original Daughter is the GMA book club pick for May, and we loved it.  In some ways, this book is not just a compelling family drama, but it is also a thoughtful depiction of Singapore, a country often misunderstood by Americans as being simply a home for glamour and high tech discovery.  This novel centers around the lives of everyday Singaporeans, and how one family is torn apart when a new daughter is introduced to the home by way of a grandfather’s polygamy. Why did this book take Jemimah ten years to write and how does this story put a new twist on the clichés of sibling rivalry?  We ask her, so tune in and find out. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode: The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones The Dutch House by Ann Patchett This is What Inequality Looks Like by Youyenn Teo The South by Tash Aw The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 8 May 2025

We loved talking to David K. Shipler so much that we wanted to squeeze one more show out of our conversation.  We talked so much on our last episode about the role of interpreters in journalism, but we also talked about going from fiction to nonfiction and the importance of good journalism, now more than ever. We hope you enjoy as much as we did.   Find books mentioned on The Book Case:  https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302   Books mentioned on this week's episode:  The Interpreter by David K. Shipler The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land by David K. Shipler The Rights of the People by David K. Shipler Freedom of Speech: Mightier Than the Sword by David K. Shipler Russia: Broken Idols, Solemn Dreams by David K. Shipler A Country of Strangers: Black and White in America by David K. Shipler Rights at Risk: The Limits of Liberty in Modern America by David K. Shipler Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy Without Honor: Defeat in Vietnam and Cambodia by Arnold R. Isaacs The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien The Street Without Joy by Bernard B. Fall Shrapnel in the Heart: Letters and Remembrances from the Vietnam Memorial by Laura Palmer When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman’s Journey from War to Peace by Le Ly Hayslip Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 1 May 2025

The Interpreter is a beautiful book about the end of the war in Vietnam and one interpreter’s story as his country is torn apart and remade over and over throughout his lifetime.  David K. Shipler is arguably one of the greatest journalists of our time.  A veteran reporter who wrote about Russia, Vietnam, and Israel (to name a few), he has a Pulitzer to his name and his non-fiction books are legendary.  I mean, the man ran a foreign desk for the New York Times and taught at Princeton.  So why write a book of fiction?  We don’t know, but we are so glad he did.  Tune in to find out why.  Our bookstore is Charlie’s local, so you don’t want to miss it. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode: The Interpreter by David K. Shipler The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land by David K. Shipler The Rights of the People by David K. Shipler Freedom of Speech: Mightier Than the Sword by David K. Shipler Russia: Broken Idols, Solemn Dreams by David K. Shipler A Country of Strangers: Black and White in America by David K. Shipler Rights at Risk: The Limits of Liberty in Modern America by David K. Shipler Driving Miss Daisy: A Play by Alfred Uhry The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald This is Happiness by Niall Williams The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 April 2025

If you are a devoted GMA watcher (and you should be), you know that about a month ago we sat down with the great Irish native writing couple of Niall Williams and Christine Breen.  What an amazing twosome they make, and we can’t get enough of talking to them.  So we offer you the extended Niall Williams and Christine Breen interview. It was such fun to discuss why Ireland was vital to their writing careers and how they came into their own ….tune in and have a listen. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: This is Happiness by Niall Williams Time of the Child by Niall Williams Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams History of the Rain by Niall Williams In Kiltumper: A Year in an Irish Garden by Niall Williams and Christine Breen O Come Ye Back to Ireland by Niall Williams and Christine Breen As it is in Heaven by Niall Williams Boy and Man by Niall Williams Only Say the Word by Niall Williams Her Name is Rose by Christine Breen Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare North by Seamus Heaney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 April 2025

Harlan Coben has authored close to 40 books with some seriously good writing.  His latest, Nobody’s Fool, takes a detective from an already existing book and TV series, blows up their story and creates mysteries within mysteries.  Great plot twists, memorable characters and page turning action are all here…how does he turn great books out over and over?  Tune in and find out.    Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben Drop Shot by Harlan Coben Fade Away by Harlan Coben  Back Spin by Harlan Coben One False Move by Harlan Coben The Final Detail by Harlan Coben Darkest Fear by Harlan Coben  Promise Me by Harlan Coben Long Lost by Harlan Coben Live Wire by Harlan Coben Home by Harlan Coben Think Twice by Harlan Coben Caught by Harlan Coben Just One Look by Harlan Coben  I Will Find You by Harlan Coben The Stranger by Harlan Coben Aurora by David Koepp The Time of the Child by Niall Williams The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain Valediction by Robert B. Parker Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 10 April 2025

It’s a two for one show and do bear with us, because it’s two books we loved, AND you get two authors in one podcast.  One book is a darkly comic novel, All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman, and the other is Homestand, which is a wonderful nonfiction read about the loss of minor league baseball in small town America by Will Bardenwerper.  Please tune in, because we believe that spring is in the air and these two great summer reads came a touch early. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: Homestand: Small Town Baseball and The Fight for the Soul of America by Will Bardenwerper All The Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman The Prisoner in His Palace by Will Bardenwerper Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris Jayne Eyre by Charlotte Bronte  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 3 April 2025

Colum McCann’s newest, Twist, explores how the world of underwater fiber cables has vital physical and metaphoric meaning in our day to day lives.  Sound dull?  We promise you, it’s a literary marvel and a page turner to boot.  The men and women who live to make, repair and find these cables are fascinating characters.  And Twist is a beautiful novel all about how we can tear ourselves apart as we obsess about reparation and healing.  Is instant communication making us one community or ruining our sense of belonging?  Are we making the earth better or burning it slowly to the ground?  Tune in this week to find out. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: Twist by Colum McCann Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann Zoli by Colum McCann Everything in this Country Must by Colum McCann Dancer by Colum McCann TransAtlantic by Colum McCann Apierogon by Colum McCann Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann Letters to a Young Writer by Colum McCann This Side of Brightness by Colum McCann Songdogs Colum McCann Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 March 2025

Kaveh Akbar and Tommy Orange are a writer’s circle of two.  We can’t remember how we first heard they were close friends, but we knew it when we interviewed them and were thrilled when we heard they might be touring together.  Tune in to find out how these two amazing authors encourage and challenge each other. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: There There by Tommy Orange Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar Portrait of the Alcoholic by Kaveh Akbar Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar Pilgrim Bell: Poems by Kaveh Akbar Moby Dick by Herman Melville Beowulf by Beowulf Poet       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 20 March 2025

We love short story collections.  We hope this doesn’t put us in the minority, because when authors do it well the books can be transcendent.  Case in point, Curtis Sittenfeld’s latest is Show Don’t Tell.  We didn’t find one story in there we didn’t like. Each feels like a breath of fresh aired emotional honesty, a glimpse into the lives of memorable characters at various turning points questioning their own choices.  Join us to find out what made Curtis release this collection.  And we sit down with Plot Twist, our first romance-based independent bookstore. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 March 2025

There is no greater classic in Kate’s mind than The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. So when our audiences liked our holiday revisit of the Christmas Carol, we knew Gatsby had to be next. Join us as we sit down with two of the country’s greatest Gatsby and Fitzgerald scholars. Find out why the book is still so studied, so beloved, and still so relevant to our lives. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Love of the Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgerald Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 March 2025

Geraldine Brooks' latest, Memorial Days, is a deeply personal memoir about the sudden loss of her husband Tony Horowitz. In this beautiful and deeply felt book, Geraldine remembers her husband and honors his legacy and their love. She walks us through the days after his death while simultaneously also taking us through her mourning process. Find out why Memorial Days was important to her survival, and how writing the book helped her and her family deal with the impossible task of grieving. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks March by Geraldine Brooks Horse by Geraldine Brooks Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks After Annie by Anna Quindlen Grief is for People by Sloane Crossley The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander A Widow’s Story by Joyce Carol Oates I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company by Brian Hall Overstory by Richard Powers Gilead by Marilynne Robinson The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 February 2025

Politics are heavily loaded in today’s America; we seem to be so angry at one another.  Jeffrey Toobin’s newest, The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy, is a fascinating and oblique way of examining politics,  studying the history and use of the Presidential pardon.  Both Democrats and Republicans have made huge partisan mistakes with pardons, contributing to the cynical way that pardons are viewed today.  Want to know some of the mistakes that led us to such an angry election?  Tune in and hear why one of the best political journalists in the country thinks it might have all started with Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302   Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy by Jeffrey Toobin The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin American Heiress: The Wild Safa of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right Wing Extremism by Jeffrey Toobin A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President by Jeffrey Toobin The Oath: the Obama White House and the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin True Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Investigation of Donald Trump by Jeffrey Toobin Too Close to Call: The Thirty Six Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election by Jeffrey Toobin All the President’s Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 20 February 2025

Jeff Hobbs is a best-selling author, but the way he listens to his subjects and retells their stories brings a deeply human perspective to really difficult topics.  His newest, Seeking Shelter, is the story of homelessness told through the eyes of Evelyn, a devoted and fierce mother of six, determined to keep her kids out of the welfare system.  Jeff spent hundreds of hours talking to Evelyn and her kids about surviving the streets as a family (though not unscathed).  Jeff is a compelling storyteller, a thoughtful author, and his subjects trust him with some of the toughest moments of their lives.  Tune in to find out why.   Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: Seeking Shelter: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America by Jeff Hobbs The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs Children of the State: Stories of Survival and Hope in the Juvenile Justice System by Jeff Hobbs Show Them You’re Good: A Portrait of Boys in the City of Angels the Year Before College by Jeff Hobbs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 February 2025

This is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer sees love’s complexities, beauties; its selfishness, difficulties, and maddening passions. Jessica Soffer tells us the story of a 50 year marriage between Abe and Jane as Jane lies dying in a hospital bed. The backdrop of their romance is Central Park, and despite the constant presence of love in the story, it is not overly sentimental or maudlin. Tune in and find out how a writer spent years writing a marriage that lasted decades. Books mentioned in this week's episode: This is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 February 2025

Adam Haslett’s new novel, Mothers & Sons is a brilliant book examining the relationships between mothers and sons from all sorts of angles.  The story of Peter and his mother Ann, who have so much in common and yet are estranged.  Compelling, original and moving, this a novel that stays with you.   Books mentioned in this week's episode: Mothers & Sons by Adam Haslett Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett You are Not a Stranger Here by Adam Haslett Union Atlantic by Adam Haslett My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout King Lear by William Shakespeare Moby Dick by Herman Melville Tinkers by Paul Harding Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 January 2025

The Booker Prize is awarded each year to the best work of sustained fiction in the English language.   In other words, it doesn’t get any more prestigious than the Booker.  And we are honored this week to have Samantha Harvey who wrote the 2024 Booker winner entitled “Orbital”.   When you read her beautiful prose, you’ll know why she won.  And when you listen to her tell us how and why she wrote “Orbital”, you’ll be as impressed with Samantha Harvey as we are.   Books mentioned in this week's episode: “Orbital” by Samantha Harvey “The Shapeless Unease” by Samantha Harvey “Mrs. Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf “The Western Wind” by Samantha Harvey  “The Wilderness” by Samantha Harvey “Dear Thief” by Samantha Harvey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 January 2025

If like your drama in a courtroom, Scott Turow is the writer for you.  His newest, Presumed Guilty, is the conclusion to the story of Rusty Sabitch, his best known protagonist.  It’s a wonderfully written page turner that we bet you won’t be able to put down.  If your heart pounds to the sound of a gavel and a bailiff saying ALL RISE, tune in and listen to find out why Scott thinks law is still the noblest pursuit of them all.    Books mentioned in this week's episode: Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow Burden of Proof by Scott Turow One L by Scott Turow Innocence by Scott Turow  The Last Trial by Scott Turow Suspect by Scott Turow Reversible Errors by Scott Turow Personal Injuries by Scott Turow The Laws of Our Fathers by Scott Turow Identical by Scott Turow Limitations by Scott Turow Ordinary Heroes by Scott Turow Testimony by Scott Turow The Orphan’s Son by Adam Johnson The Magic Barrel by Bernard Malamud The Natural by Bernard Malamud The Fixer by Bernard Malamud   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 January 2025

Our first book show of the year is a first-time novelist, Karissa Chen.  Her new book Homecoming is a novel a portrait in longing, an epoch love story between two characters torn apart by political unrest at the time of the Communist Revolution in China.  It’s ambitious, it’s beautiful and it’s one of the best historical portrayals of China’s complex histories we have ever read.  Join us! Books mentioned in this week's episode: Homecoming by Karissa Chen Written on the Water by Eileen Chang Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticat Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney The Poetry of Derek Walcott 1948-2013 by DerekWalcott Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 January 2025

This week we take a look back at last year’s Book Case episodes focussing on the methodology of writing. We love talking to authors about their technique, their inspirations, and we love exploring how they do what they do. So this week we sew together some of our favorite ideas and methods coming from our authors, on how to write a book. We hope that we have some aspiring authors listening, and that there is inspiration to be taken from each of these ideas. Books mentioned in this week's episode: We Solve Murders by Richard Osman The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny The Time of the Child by Niall Williams Bel Canto: The Annotated Edition by Ann Patchett Colored Television by Danzy Senna Tell me Everything by Elizabeth Strout The History of Sound: Stories by Ben Shattuck Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J Ryan Stradal Shanghai by Joseph Kanon The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson Table for Two by Amor Towles The Hunter by Tana French After Anna by Anna Quindlen Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 2 January 2025

We decided to break format this week, and we might do it again at that (it was wonderful).  To ring in the holiday week, we had to spend a little time talking about A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  And we must admit we had never read it until now.  We sit down with Dean Natalie McKnight at Boston University, and Professor Joel Brattin at Worcester Polytechnic. Both top Dickensian scholars in their field, we ask them why this book still universally resonates….hundreds of years later. Books mentioned in this week's episode: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens The Chimes by Charles Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens The Battle of Life: A Love Story by Charles Dickens The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain by Charles Dickens Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Bleak House by Charles Dickens Hard Times by Charles Dickens Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens  A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 26 December 2024

We know we want to talk to an author if we argue long and lustily about a book’s themes. And Like Mother, Like Mother, the newest by Susan Rieger, has so many themes: how we cannot escape our mothers, the concept of whether women can “have it all”, the debate on nature vs. nurture…and so much more. These are characters that will stay with you long after you have finished, and is a great selection for book clubs out there. Take a break from holiday prep and join us for our conversation with Susan Rieger and with Warwick books in La Jolla California. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger The Heirs by Susan Rieger The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger Mosaic of the Mind by Susan Rieger By the Lake by John McGahern This is Happiness by Niall Williams Time of the Child by Niall Williams Netherland by Joseph O’Neill The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 19 December 2024

Delia Ephron is a courageous woman. Not only did she lose her husband Jerry, she then faced death in the form of leukemia and a very risky bone marrow transplant all while falling in love with her husband Peter. As if all of this weren’t enough, she wrote an amazing memoir about it, Left on Tenth, and THEN she turned it into a major play on Broadway where hundreds of people could react to her story, live. How did she do it and why? We find out on this week’s Book Case. We also talk to the bookstore Francie and French, and tell you where they got that name. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Left on Tenth by Delia Ephron The Lion is In by Delia Ephron Heartburn by Delia and Nora Ephron Siracusa by Delia Ephron Big City Eyes by Delia Ephron Hanging Up by Delia Ephron Sister Mother Husband Dog Etc. by Delia Ephron The Girl with the Mermaid Hair by Delia Ephron Frannie in Pieces by Delia Ephron Love Lost and What I Wore: A Play by Delia and Nora Ephron The Time of the Child by Niall Williams Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 12 December 2024

In this, the second part of our interview with Louise Penny we talk to her about the art of writing, how she stays fresh and what her year looks like as she writes and completes a Gamache mystery. We widen our lens on the art of writing with Louise Penny. Stay with us, you won't want to miss it. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny Still Life by Louise Penny A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny The Hangman by Louise Penny A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny Glass Houses by Louise Penny Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny A Better Man by Louise Penny All the Devils Are Here The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton World of Curiosities by Louise Penny The Complete Collection of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving The Devil in the White City by Eric Larson Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler Left on Tenth by Delia Ephron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2024

We read fan comments, and several of you wrote us about Louise Penny.  Charlie has always been a fan (he would want me to say that) but Kate was shamefully new to her work.  But she is now a HUGE fan and has read them all and could not put down The Grey Wolf, Penny’s newest and her 19th Inspector Gamache in the series. Join us for part 1 of a 2 part Book Case podcast with Louise Penny. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny Still Life by Louise Penny A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny The Hangman by Louise Penny A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny Glass Houses by Louise Penny Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny A Better Man by Louise Penny All the Devils Are Here The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton World of Curiosities by Louise Penny The Time of the Child by Niall Williams One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez House of Spirits by Isabel Allende Monogamy by Sue Miller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 November 2024

When Niall Williams releases a book, we positively cheer.  His writing feels like coming home to us.  A home full of warm fires, good stories, kind neighbors, strong community and unspoken love.  All of them and more illuminate his latest: The Time of the Child.  We could not recommend this book more.  Buy it.  And then buy it for everyone on your holiday list who loves to read.  And then sit by your holiday fire with all of those folks who read it and listen to this episode of the Book Case.  You will be so glad you did. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Time of the Child by Niall Williams This is Happiness by Niall Williams  History of Rain by Niall Williams  Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams As it Is in Heaven by Niall Williams O Come Ye Back to Ireland: Our First Year in County Clare by Niall Williams and Christine Breen The Fall of Light by Niall Williams In Kiltumper: A Year in an Irish Garden by Niall Williams and Christine Breen Boy in the World by Niall Williams John by Niall Williams When Summer’s in the Meadow by Niall Williams and Christine Breen Bel Canto: The Annotated Edition by Ann Patchett Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 November 2024

We don’t do it often, but we are giving two episodes to one conversation: the Great Ann Patchett talking about the Annotated Bel Canto.  After we wrap our conversation with her we talk to her bookstore, Parnassus and its manager, Cat Bock.  Tune in and find out why we love Ann Patchett so much.   Books mentioned in this week's episode: Bel Canto: The Annotated Edition by Ann Patchett The Dutch House by Ann Patchett These Precious Days by Ann Patchett The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett State of Wonder by Ann Patchett Commonwealth by Ann Patchett Run by Ann Patchett This is the Story of a Marriage by Ann Patchett Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett Tom Lake by Ann Patchett Taft by Ann Patchett Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, The Audiobook Version read by Jeremy Irons The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 14 November 2024

Ann Patchett burst on the scene with Bel Canto twenty three years ago. Bel Canto was not her first novel, but many still consider it to be her best (although she disagrees). This week she releases an Annotated Edition of Bel Canto and in it she rereads and notes her triumphs and mistakes on every page. Seriously. A great novel, a great writer making insightful comments on her own writing (in her own handwriting)…if you love reading, writing or Ann Patchett, this is a HUGE treat. In this episode, the first installment of our conversation with Ann, we talk to her about the inspirations behind Bel Canto, and so much of what she thinks she could do better if she wrote it today. Listen and nerd out with us on the writing experience. Books mentioned in this week’s podcast:  Bel Canto: The Annotated Edition by Ann Patchett The Dutch House by Ann Patchett These Precious Days by Ann Patchett The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett State of Wonder by Ann Patchett Commonwealth by Ann Patchett Run by Ann Patchett This is the Story of a Marriage by Ann Patchett Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett Tom Lake by Ann Patchett Taft by Ann Patchett Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 November 2024

Danzy Senna has written a seriously funny and thought provoking book in Colored Television. It will make you laugh, but also make space for anger, pain and frustration as she skewers race, Hollywood, authentic voice, the publishing industry, the Kardashians, navel gazing, philosophy….you name it, there is satire in this book for everyone. Great writing and a great conversation with the author. We are also joined for our fourth writer in residence conversation with J. Ryan Stradal. He tells us why he is working so hard on the first draft of his new novel. Join us.  Books mentioned in this week’s podcast: Colored Television by Danzy Senna Caucasia by Danzy Senna New People by Danzy Senna You are Free: Stories by Danzy Senna Where did you Sleep Last Night by Danzy Senna David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee Colours of the Mountain by Da Chen The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Beloved by Tony Morrison The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 31 October 2024

Reginald Dwayne Betts is on a mission is to put a curated library in the cell block of every prison in America. A survivor of the system himself, he has obtained a college degree, a law degree from Yale, and a MacArthur Genius grant. Looking to bring hope to America’s most hopeless places, Bates has founded Freedom Reads, an organization that brings free curated library collections to every prison system that agrees to it. His partner in the endeavor, Debbie Leff, also talks to us about what inspired her about this tremendous organization. No one better personifies the power of reading to change a life, so join us for what we believe is an important discussion about the vitality of libraries and the power of books to heal. Books mentioned in this week’s podcast: The Circumference of a Prison by Reginald Dwayne Betts Doggerel by Reginald Dwayne Betts Felon: Poems by Reginald Dwayne Betts Redaction by Reginald Dwayne Betts Bastards of the Reagan Era by Reginald Dwayne Betts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 October 2024

Paula Hawkins is a master of the mystery, and her new one, The Blue Hour, has one of the best opens and closes to a mystery we have ever read. An author who knows mood and atmosphere, this book will keep you turning the pages long after you told yourself to go to bed. Our bookstore this week is a revisit with one of our favorites, Beacon Hill Books. Join us! Books mentioned in this week’s podcast: The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins Into the Water by Paula Hawkins Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie Life After Life by Kate Atkinson The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 October 2024

Richard Osman has one of the most successful literary mystery series of all time: The Thursday Murder Club (just finished filming as a major motion picture too). So why start a new series and why do we love it so much? First, we will read anything this man writes, including his address book, but second, because it’s good, AND funny. We ask Richard what inspired him, why he was crazy enough to start a new series and how. Our bookstore this week is Collected Works in Santa Fe. Join us! Books mentioned in this week's episode: We Solve Murders by Richard Osman Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman The Man who Died Twice by Richard Osman The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman Fade Away by Harlan Coben And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 10 October 2024

This week's book case: Emmitt Till’s murder has been a seminal moment in American history ever since it occurred in 1955. Wright Thompson’s new book “The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi” looks at the horror through a whole new prism. Thompson loves his native land of Mississippi but is haunted by the barn where Emmitt Till was murdered. Why is it that we still know so little about one of the ugliest chapters in the history of American race relations? Tune in and find out. Books mentioned in this week’s podcast: The Barn: The Secret History of A Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson Pappyland: A Story of Family, Fine Bourbon and the Things that Last by Wright Thompson The Cost of These Dreams: Sports Stories and Other Serious Business by Wright Thompson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 3 October 2024

The United Kingdom has given us some amazing children’s authors: C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, Roald Dahl, Beatrix Potter...and may we add Katherine Rundell. Her newest, Impossible Creatures, is a sensation in Britain, and was declared an instant classic even before its U.S. release. It delivers all the magic promised in the fantastical title. Tune in to our conversation with this fascinating Renaissance literature and Dunne scholar as we talk to her about what’s so addicting about writing for middle schoolers, and where we can find the magical lands she creates. Books mentioned in this week’s episode: Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell The Explorer by Katherine Rundell The Girl Savage by Katherine Rundell The Zebra’s Great Escape by Katherine Rundell Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Dunne by Katherine Rundell The Golden Mole: And Other Living Treasure by Katherine Rundell Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though You are So Old and Wise by Katherine Rundell The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 19 September 2024

If you aren’t an Elizabeth Strout fan yet, Tell me Everything, her newest novel, is going to wow you. If you are already devoted fans, like we are, then you are in for a real treat. In Tell Me Everything, she brings together two beloved characters: Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge. The results are truly magical. Our bookstore this week is Snowbound Books in Marquette, Michigan. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout Oh William! By Elizabeth Strout The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 12 September 2024

This is a special episode dedicated the art of spoken word poetry. One of our listeners wrote to us mentioning the name of Rudy Francisco and from there we fell down the rabbit hole of spoken word and slam poetry. We talk to Rudy and two other greats of the art, Bianca Phipps and Neil Hilborn. They are going to perform one work each and we will round it out with a conversation with Sam Van Cook. Sam is a founder of Button Poetry that represents and publishes so many of these great artists. Trust us, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Helium by Rudy Francisco Excuse Me While I Kiss the Sky by Rudy Francisco Crown Noble by Bianca Phipps The Future by Neil Hilborn About Time by Neil Hilborn Mill, Railways and General Castings by Sam Van Cook Watch their poems online: Hide and Seek by Rudy Francisco Almosts by Bianca Phipps OCD by Neil Hilborn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 5 September 2024

Dr. Fei-Fei Li is one of the most important scientists of our time. Her book, The Worlds I See, chronicles her pioneering efforts in Artificial Intelligence. Does AI scare you? Us too. But read this book and listen to this episode. The book is not just the compelling story of Dr. Li herself, who immigrated as a girl speaking no English but who understands physics like Michael Jordan plays basketball. She is now a worldwide authority on AI and its development. Second, if you are scared of AI, this book explains it and the issues surrounding it both with beauty and with hope. She believes AI is the next step in our evolution, but that it MUST be rooted in humanity. What does that mean? Tune in and find out. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI by Dr. Fei-Fei Li Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 29 August 2024

Have you ever heard the rumor that Shakespeare didn’t write his own plays? So had we, but By Any Other Name, the new novel by Jodi Picoult, may make the best case for it we have ever read. This novel puts forth a theory that Emilia Bassano wrote at least some of them, and she is an unforgettable character. This book succeeds on so many levels — a polemic, a great piece of feminist AND historical fiction, AND it’s a page turner. This is the book Jodi says she was born to write…and we think it’s her best to date. Books mentioned in this week's episode: By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult Mermaid by Jodi Picoult Second Glance by Jodi Picoult Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult The Pact by Jodi Picoult The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult House Rules by Jodi Picoult Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan Where There’s Smoke by Jodi Picoult Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 22 August 2024

Love it or hate it, the genre of “reality tv” has now shaped American history. That means no matter how you feel about it, you cannot ignore it. Enter Cue the Sun!, the most comprehensive, thoughtful and well written book about the history and development of the genre we have come across. We talk to the book’s author, Emily Nussbaum about how the genre has come to take up so much space in American pop culture and what that means for our country as a whole. We also talk to Ferguson Books' owner Dane Ferguson about how his shop serves rural communities in the upper midwest. You don’t want to miss it. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution by Emily Nussbaum Black Bear Lake by Leslie Liautaud Thief River Falls by Brian Freeman Alter Ego by Brian Freeman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 15 August 2024

Today we talk about a book that seems tailor-made to our show, given our conversations with independent booksellers. The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore is a book that, if you are a book lovers like we are, will give you the same warm, smiling feeling you get when you walk into your favorite bookstore. And we talk to Toby Cox, the owner of Three Lives & Company, one of Evan’s favorites. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss On Bicycles: A 200-Year History of Cycling in New York City by Evan Friss The Cycling City: Bicycles and Urban America in the 1890s by Evan Friss All Fours by Miranda July The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry Waterlogged: The Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports by Tim Noakes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 8 August 2024

When you say the name Whoopi Goldberg it’s hard not to smile. The name is filled with heart, laughter, and a joyous sense of fun, just like the woman herself. Born Caryn Johnson, her memoir Bits and Pieces is a love letter to her mother and brother, the two people who molded her into the hilarious, honest and morally centered person she is today. She has also written a graphic novel about menopause (sure, why not?) called The Change, which is a declaration that women of a certain age (and color) can don a cape and fight bad guys with hot flashes, if they so choose. Join us for a laugh and some terrific storytelling. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me by Whoopi Goldberg The Change: A Graphic Novel by Whoopi Goldberg, Jaime Paglia and Sunkanmi Akinboye Is It Just Me?: Or Is It Nuts Out There? By Whoopi Goldberg If Someone Says "You Complete Me,” RUN!: Whoopi’s Big Book of Relationships by Whoopi Goldberg Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie The Godfather by Mario Puzo The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 1 August 2024

Ben Shattuck is a renaissance man of sorts, which might be why we dedicated the whole episode to him. He wrote The History of Sound, a thought provoking and beautiful collection of short stories that spans the Eastern Seaboard as well as eons of time. Then there's his general store, which, on top of being the oldest general store in the country also boasts an independent bookstore curated by, you guessed it, Ben Shattuck. Join us. Books mentioned in this week’s episode: The History of Sound: Stories by Ben Shattuck Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau by Ben Shattuck Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry This Is Happiness by Niall Williams Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard Ship Fever by Andrea Barrett A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 July 2024

Every so often, a new author tackles the work of expanding a classic novel to expand its reach. Even more rarely, they succeed beautifully. This week’s book, Adventures of Mary Jane is just such a rare gem. Mary Jane's author, Hope Jahren, is a scientist (a geochemist, no less) who decided to write the story of Mary Jane, a character that haunted her from the pages of Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn her entire life. It is both a magical adventure story and an authentic and well written coming of age drama. This week’s bookstore is Where the Sidewalk Ends, which is also run by two generations in tandem. We talk to them about how they do it…and we commiserate on working with daughters and parents. Join us. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Adventures of Mary Jane by Hope Jahren Lab Girl by Hope Jahren The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from Here by Hope Jahren The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe Les Misérables by Victor Hugo Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens A Man without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals that Helped him Save Lives in World War II by Vicki Constantine Croke The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia by Juliet Grames-RELEASES 7/23/2024 More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova-RELEASES 1/14/2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 18 July 2024

Our third check in with J. Ryan Stradal, author extraordinaire and our writer in residence. He has begun to write in earnest, and has lots to tell us about his progress. We are loving these conversations with J., and every time we learn something new. For our bookstore we talk to Next Chapter Booksellers in St. Paul, J. Ryan's homeland. Join us. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorn For The Culture: Phenomenal Black Women and Femmes in Food: Interviews, Inspiration, and Recipes by Klancy Miller The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 July 2024

The Magician’s Hat by Malcolm MitchellThis week we talk to Rachel Khong. Her new novel, Real Americans, asks probing questions about the reality of America’s “melting pot” mythology, and is also being a mysterious and compulsively readable family saga. We also talk to Judy Newman, Chief Impact Officer at Scholastic, in our continuing discussions on the importance of getting children to read. We hope you will join us. Books mentioned in this week's podcast Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong Real Americans by Rachel Khong Perfecto Pet Show by Judy Newman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 July 2024

Do you like a good spy novel? Do you love le Carré and Graham Greene? Then we hope, with great sincerity, that you are reading the work of Joseph Kanon. His latest, Shanghai, centers around the city’s lesser known freewheeling WWII history and some of the lawless people who escaped the war to be there. Tune in to find out why he is fascinated by spy novels, and what he calls “spy adjacent novels”, that capture such rich moments in history. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Shanghai by Joseph Kanon The Good German by Joseph Kanon Istanbul Passage by Joseph Kanon Los Alamos by Joseph Kanon The Prodigal Spy by Joseph Kanon The Berlin Exchange by Joseph Kanon Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon Defectors by Joseph Kanon Alibi by Joseph Kanon The Accomplice by Joseph Kanon The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Barry Winter Work by Dan Fesperman The Cover Wife by Dan Fesperman Safe Houses by Dan Fesperman The Letter Writer by Dan Fesperman Unmanned by Dan Fesperman The Double Game by Dan Fesperman Layover in Dubai by Dan Fesperman The Arms Maker of Berlin by Dan Fesperman The Prisoner of Guantanamo by Dan Fesperman The Warlord's Son by Dan Fesperman The Small Boat of Great Sorrows by Dan Fesperman Lie in the Dark by Dan Fesperman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 June 2024

Sandwich: A Novel by Catherine Newman is full of great characters, evocative nostalgic imagery and a love for Cape Cod that we share with her. It is full of thoughts on what it means to be a woman, why we keep secrets from our family, and what it is we love about the yearly vacation traditions we cherish if we were lucky enough to have them in our lives. For our bookstore this week, Bookshop West Portal, who for independent bookstore day brought in llamas. Because....well, tune in. Books mentioned in this week's episode: Sandwich by Catherine Newman We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman Waiting for Birdy: A Year of Frantic Tedium, Neurotic Angst, and the Wild Magic of Growing a Family by Catherine Newman The Worst Noel: Hellish Holiday Tales by Catherine Newman Catastrophic Happiness: Finding Joy in Childhood's Messy Years by Catherine Newman The Beans of Egypt, Maine, by Carolyn Chute Writers & Lovers by Lily King Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby The Dutch House by Ann Patchett Tom Lake by Ann Patchett Long Island by Colm Toibin Brooklyn by Colm Toibin The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt Shopkeeping: Stories, Advice, and Observations by Peter Miller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 20 June 2024

Want a great summer read? We have it. A Better Place by Sarah Langan is a page turning mystery/thriller….like if The Stepford Wives met Shirley Jackson in The Lottery. The story is original, the characters are well written, and the mysteries presented will baffle you as they unfold. It’s a terrific ride. We also talk also talk to John Mendelson, president of Nosy Crow Books, an independent publishing house for kids, who took the entire bike trail laid out by our Massachusetts guests from last week at Whitelam Books. Why did he do it, and how? Tune in and find out. Books mentioned in this week's episode: A Better World by Sarah Langan Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan Audrey’s Door by Sarah Langan The Keeper by Sarah Langan The Missing by Sarah Langan The Lottery by Shirley Jackson The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin My Antonia by Willa Cather House of Leaves by Mark. Z. Danielewski The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins A Horse Called Now by Ruth Doyle and Alexandra Finkeldey Dig, Dig, Dinosaur by Anjali Goswami and Maggie Li Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 June 2024

This week, a dark and funny tale of sheep farming in Rural England that reads like an American Western by Cormac McCarthy. Sound a little strange? Well, it is. But it is also compelling, suspenseful, complex and packed with great characters. Scott Preston is a debut novelist, and this book, The Borrowed Hills, may defy a two sentence description but it’s worth the read. For our bookstore this week we talk to Whitelam books in Reading, Massachusetts, who tell us about what they did to bring in folks on Indpendent Bookstore Day. Join us. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Borrowed Hills by Scott Preston Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson The Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren Shane by Jack Schaefer Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey True Grit by Charles Portis Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Independent People by Halldór Laxness Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 June 2024

Today we have a book that helped us to lift the curtain on the inner workings of the book business. The Editor by Sara B. Franklin tells us the story of Judith Jones, the game changing editor who changed the publishing business at a time where women weren't in the publishing business. Judith helped shape literature and change publishing, and so we pair her with one of our current favorite editors who has just announced her retirement, Beverly Horowitz. Beverly has been in the business for 50 years and has worked with everyone from Judy Blume to E. Lockhart. Join us for a wonderful insiders look at the business that sustains our minds and hearts. Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Editor by Sara B. Franklin Edna Lewis: At the Table with an American Original by Sara B. Franklin The Phoenicia Diner Cookbook: Dishes and Dispatches from the Catskill Mountains by Sara B. Franklin The Colossus and Other Poems by Sylvia Plath Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food by Judith Jones Rabbit, Run by John Updike Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler The Living Mountain: A Celebration of the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland (Canons) by Nan Shepherd We Were Liars by E. Lockhart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 May 2024